55th Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré - 2.HC

France, June 8-15, 2003

Prologue - June 8: Villard-de-Lans ITT, 5.1 km

Mayo sets the mark

Iban Mayo stormed to a prologue victory today in Villard-de-Lans, beating David
Millar (Cofidis) and Lance Armstrong in the Dauphiné opener. Mayo proved
a point for his Euskaltel-Euskadi team, in the wake of the usual debate over
the final four wild card selections for the Tour de France. Winner of the Tour
of the Basque Country this year, where he swiped the final victory from Tyler
Hamilton in a hilly time trial, Mayo has returned in fine form to begin the
tough Dauphiné on a high note.

Run over a short but challenging parcours of just 5.1km, today's prologue will
not likely have a great impact on the final general classification of such a
mountainous race. Nonetheless, under a hot sun at the edge of the French Alps,
the likely contenders for the Dauphiné title, most of whom are here to
put in a final round of top level racing prior to the Tour de France, were out
in force on the difficult course.

After a late race surge that propelled him into third place in Saturday's Classique
des Alpes, David Millar showed again today that his form has come around. Millar
combined his climbing and time trialing abilities to push Mayo to within 5"
at the line. Armstrong too had a good ride, but could not match effort produced
by Millar and Mayo. Francisco Mancebo (iBanesto.com) also enjoyed another strong
performance (5th at 15") after his emphatic win in the Classique des Alpes.

Australian Brad McGee had a solid ride to finish seventh, showing that his
steady climb to top form is on track. "I've had a solid four weeks of preparation,"
he told Cyclingnews before his ride. Although his participation in the Tour
de France is almost assured, McGee explained that up through the various national
championships at the end of the month, riders on the team will be looking for
good results to earn their ride to Paris. FDJeux.com directeur sportif Marc
Madiot "made it very clear last night that nobody's in, and nobody's out," McGee
said. A stage winner in the 2002 Tour, McGee will use the Dauphiné to
work on his climbing form, and will likely go on to ride the Tour de Suisse
as well.

Equipment choice varied among the riders, as many chose road frames with clip
on aero handlebars. Few riders chose disc wheels, fearing the weight disadvantage
on the final climb to the line. Millar, however, was among those who opted to
ride a low profile time trial machine. Mayo and Armstrong, conversely, each
rode their standard frames, choosing climbing comfort over aerodynamics.

The final climb of the prologue parcours helped prove decisive, and Mayo knew
this as he flew up the hill, catching his minute man Eddy Seigneur by the top.
Mayo will begin Tuesday's stage 2 from Méaudre to Vaison-La-Romaine in
yellow, but the week-long Dauphiné has a deep field of contenders, and
is still anyone's race.